FEI's initial response to the "Blue Tongue" - Mia's letter

Fei's Response to a letter concerning the extended use of hyperflexion and one of the consequences of this type of riding on the horse' tongue as seen in this video sequence on you tube (original letter can be found below):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hIXGiV4N4k

Dear Mia Balint,

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We see this as a very serious issue, and will follow up immediately. Our main concern should always be the welfare of the horse.

Our Steward Manual has following wording about hyperflexion, in addition to the general text about abuse of horses: Hyperflexion

Providing that a horse is fit and well and not suffering from any back or neck injuries orailments there are no known clinical side effects specifically arising from the use of Hyperflexion.

However, there are concerns for the horses’ well-being if the technique is not practiced correctly.
The FEI does not permit excessive or prolonged Hyperflexion in any equestrian sport.

We have just received a copy of the video, and will study it and take necessary action.

Please rest assured that an abuse will not be tolerated.

Best regards

Trond Asmyr

Original e-mai from Mia

Regarding World Cup in Odense, Denmark.

I am an outraged spectator of the World Cup Dressage shown on video.

I have just watched a videoclip showing Patrik Kittel hyperflexing/rollkur'ing his stallion Watermill Scandic HBC on the warm up arena, and I am absolutely shocked with what I have witnessed.

The video shows Patrik pulling so hard on the curb-bit reins so that the horses' tongue is completely blue, hanging from its mouth like dead tissue. He is performing this abuse for a duration of approximately 2 hours, and as a passionate horselover, amateur rider and law student I simply cannot accept this.

This kind of training is an outrage, it is violent, it is cruel abuse and it makes me sick to my stomach that you, the FEI, do not have the guts to enforce your own rule set, in which you in article 1 on page 10 write that:

1. At all stages during the preparation and training of competition horses,WELFARE must take precedence over all other demands. This includes goodhorse management, TRAINING METHODS, farriery and tack, and transportation. (My highlights)

In this case I am confused and angry that the FEI still has not forbidden the use of rollkur/hyperflexion, when it is obvious that the horse is experiencing pain and anguish during this, plus the riders are apparently using this strained position on the horses for long periods of time.

You have to take a stand now - the riders performing abuse on their horses in the manner of Patrik Kittel's deed on this video should result in penalties and not a turning of the FEI-cheek.

In case no action will be taken to ensure that this horse abuse will not take place at showing events without intervention from equestrian authorities, I will make it my principal goal to send this video clip - among pictures and other videoclips of top riders performing abusive training on their horses - to the riders' sponsors AND a very powerful network in the U.S. lead by a woman named Martha Stewart, to make sure it will be known worldwide that consumers should not buy products or services from these sponsors, as the sponsors are supporting a cruel sport in favor of animal abuse.

I hope you will take this seriously.

Mia

Thanks to Mia for letting me share her correspondance with the FEI